The invention relates to an endarterectomy instrument, namely, an endarterectomy roller, which is used to strip an extended core of atheromatous plaque from the surrounding artery prior to the removal of the core through a distal arteriotomy incision. This endarterectomy method is shown and described in the co-pending application of Thomas J. Fogarty, Ser. No. 114,980, filed Jan. 24, 1980, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,287,890 for "Endarterectomy Method and Apparatus".
The material prior art known to us consists of U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,648,701 and 4,164,223 which disclose rotatable tube-stripping rollers on forcep and surgical instruments.